CAMP CONCLUSIONS—10 things fall football camp showed us about the 2014 Tulane football team

1.TANNER LEE IS YOUR QUARTERBACK

The redshirt freshman hasn't taken a college snap but he already looks better behind center than either quarterback who played last fall. This season, coach Curtis Johnson took the hype off the quarterbacks early in camp by naming Tanner Lee the starting quarterback in week two. "I think it was easier on the team because now that he knows who their guy is," Lee said. "Now we can really work on formulating chemistry and I can make sure that I am always going with the one's -- so if we make mistakes, I will get 10 more reps of the same play to make it better."

Tulane knew it would lose field goal range when power-legged Cairo Santos graduated and headed to the NFL. But Andrew DiRocco and Steven Broccoli have struggled to get consistent trajectories off of their PAT's and field goals in camp. The operations team — which struggled mightily last season – is still floundering deep snaps and trying to get holds down, exasperating the kicking woes. Kickoffs aren't going as far so the kickoff coverage team will be tested. But Johnson isn't ready to declare a starting placekicker even after Saturday's camp practice. "I kind of know who it's going to be but we got to make sure we do our due diligence. It's moving in the right direction," Johnson said.

3. WHO'S IN THE MIDDLE?

The Green Wave rotated its middle linebacker last year based on opposing offense and situations. But Tulane will use three different middle linebackers this season because no one has exactly won out the position. Eric Thomas is great against the run, but struggles to contain his emotions during practices and gets over aggressive. Edward Williams is effective but going through his first full football camp after struggling with an injury last season. Freshman Rae Juan Marbley has size but no experience.

Nico Marley is 5-foot-9 but the subject rarely came up during football camp this fall as Marley dominated the weak-side position, taking virtually every first-team weak-side linebacker snap. Marley made 67 tackles last season, but expect an even higher tally this fall as the sophomore has caught his groove and is poised for a breakout season.

5. LORENZO DOSS MIGHT NOT BE THE DEFENSE'S STAR

Lorenzo Doss was named to about every preseason watchlist a talented cornerback who made seven interceptions last season can. He is dedicated, humble, and a beast of a cornerback. But he might get overshadowed by guys like Parry Nickerson, a redshirt freshman who has been a star in camp even after entering camp mid-way through because of a knee injury. "Really good young kids in this program," Johnson said. "Our coaches have done an outstanding job recruiting, especially local players. The ones we got, some of those names I had never heard of until we signed them and these guys are really, really good players."

With Orleans Darkwa out of the picture, a young crop of running backs are poised to take the ball and take over the offense. Sherman Badie, a redshirt freshman out of John Curtis, is the first name that comes to mind. "The thing about Sherman is Sherman was around last year, Sherman played in a system in high school that was really, really demanding," Johnson said of the Curtis veer offense. "It was very disciplined and so I think the disciplined kids are the ones who excel in this offense just because offensively we're really complicated for a college team."

7. WHAT OFFENSIVE LINE?

The Tulane offensive line will be less conspicuous this season – and that's a huge relief. Last season the unit made headlines for poor protection and undisciplined play – holding penalties, false starts, and missed blocks. The group is a year older, leaner, and wiser. The competition, however, gets tougher in the American Athletic Conference. But you will still see a better Tulane offensive line and Nathan Shienle will lead the way at center or guard.

Freshman wide receiver Teddy Veal spent the offseason fighting off a simple rape accusation -- charges were cleared this summer and he returned to camp. Veal has been all business ever since, proving himself to be a speed demon on go routes, a physical, sure-handed addition to the receiving corps. When asked what has been the biggest surprise of camp, Tanner Lee rattled his name off. Twice. In a row. "Teddy and Teddy picked up the plays. How fast they pick up the place is very impressive to me. It is encouraging because we can count on them," Lee said.

9. TULANE WILL PLAY FRESHMEN – BUT THE YOUTH WON'T MISS A BEAT

The past five years, Tulane has had to play freshmen because of deficiencies in the program's depth. This season Tulane will play freshmen because they are talented and know the system as well as their elders. "I like the talent level, I like what they are doing, I like the athleticism, I like how they run around," Johnson said. The young group knows it, too, and that's okay with Johnson. "They walk with a swagger. I would rather have a team with the swagger then a team without. Now over confident or not, I won't know until after this first game how confident we should be. So if they say a couple things here and there, it doesn't bother me. Just don't say it to the referees or the opponent."

Tulane is a better team this season but that might not result in a better record or bowl game because the schedule is tougher. Young players will make plays for Tulane and new stars are on the horizon, but the fact is that the American Athletic Conference teams are better than what Tulane faced last season. The non-conference schedule is harder, particularly with Georgia Tech looming Sept. 6. This team will be fun to watch — dynamic and speed-laden -- but it might still finish with more losses than wins.